Protesters Zip-tied, Escorted Out of Capitol Ahead of Netanyahu Speech

By Al Mayadeen English

Thousands are expected to protest the Israeli Prime Minister's visit to Congress over the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Activists have stormed Congress ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu's speech in protest of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Inside the US Capitol building, a group named "Jews Say Stop Arming Israel" gathered at the Cannon Rotunda in protest of Netanyahu's visit.

Over 400 American Jews protested at the Capitol building on the day after Netanyahu’s arrival and refused to leave, chanting “Arms embargo now," "Stop arming Israel," and other chants protesting the genocide in Gaza.

There have also been calls for a mass demonstration on Wednesday in rejection of the Israeli Prime minister's address.

Fencing has been erected around the Capitol's entrance points and the hotel near the Potomac River where Netanyahu is staying. Protesters demonstrated outside his hotel, telling TRT he should be arrested as a "war criminal".

Capitol Police and the Secret Service were out in larger numbers, upping screening and security for his visit. 

The Metropolitan Police Department announced an extended series of street closures that would span the majority of the week.

Netanyahu's visit comes as the Secret Service is under fire from both parties for security lapses that led to Donald Trump's assassination attempt.  The Secret Service's director, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned on Tuesday due to the shortcomings.

At the Cannon House Office Building, pro-Palestine demonstrators were zip-tied by police and escorted out of the building. 

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have a meeting at the White House on Thursday, according to a statement released by Netanyahu's office on Tuesday.

Reportedly, Netanyahu will be meeting Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris separately. Talks with Biden are expected to touch on the war on Palestine where the two leaders will discuss ways to reach a ceasefire in Palestine's Gaza Strip, with topics set to include Iran and others.

In turn, a Harris aide announced that the vice president, who also became the top Democratic presidential candidate following Biden's announcement of stepping down, stated that Harris intends to stress the importance of bringing the war to an end in the Strip. 

US Senator Bernie Sanders has sharply criticized the decision to invite Netanyahu to address Congress, labeling him a "war criminal". Sanders, a leftist independent, expressed deep disappointment with congressional leaders from both parties for extending the invitation.

"It is a very sad day for our country that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited – by leaders from both parties – to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress," Sanders stated. "Netanyahu is a war criminal. He should not be invited to address a joint meeting of Congress. I certainly will not attend."

David Harel, Tamir Pardo, Talia Sasson, Ehud Barak, Aaron Ciechanover, and David Grossman, all settlers who have held and are holding prestigious positions in private and public Israeli establishments, described Netanyahu's invitation to Congress as a "terrible mistake" in a guest essay published by The New York Times last month.

Under different circumstances, Netanyahu's address in Congress would be considered a manifestation of "Israel" and the United States' "shared values". However, seeing Netanyahu's decisions throughout the past nine months since the war on Gaza was launched, his presentation, according to the authors, no longer represented the Israeli settler community but rewarded his "scandalous and destructive conduct" toward the occupation.